Greater Anglia nationalisation updates

[450.emu]

GA's livery would suit GBR in future, with a dash of blue. Even the Hare would make a good mascot / logo. They could just add Double Arrows to operators taken over if they are keeping the wide array of liveries.

 

[dk1]

GA's livery would suit GBR in future, with a dash of blue. Even the Hare would make a good mascot / logo. They could just add Double Arrows to operators taken over if they are keeping the wide array of liveries.

I noticed tonight that the hare and GA has left their very longstanding sponsorship of Anglia News weather forecast.

 

[StephenHunter]

I noticed tonight that the hare and GA has left their very longstanding sponsorship of Anglia News weather forecast.

Suspect he's going in a grave near a Scottish castle.

 

[lordbusiness]

I noticed tonight that the hare and GA has left their very longstanding sponsorship of Anglia News weather forecast.

More likely the new owners decided not to continue the contract I suspect.

 

[jackdoyle]

The transformation has begun.

The attached images show a four car class 755 with GBR coming soon branding applied.

Press event it seems was yesterday with the Transport Sec at Norwich Station.
Photos on DfT Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/transportgovuk/albums/72177720329557736/with/54842332422

 

[Magdalia]

BBC report here:

Greater Anglia nationalisation will deliver 'value for money'

The transport secretary says the move will bring value for money, but she did not promise lower fares.

www.bbc.co.uk

The transport secretary has vowed to "move heaven and earth" to deliver "value for money on the railways".
But Heidi Alexander stopped short of promising cheaper fares for train passengers.
She was speaking ahead of the nationalisation of the East of England rail operator, Greater Anglia, on Sunday.
The company, which is among the UK's best performing train firms, said passengers should experience the same levels of service.
Alexander, on a visit to Norwich station, said she wanted to "embed high-performing, reliable railways that people can depend on".

 

[Djgr]

More likely the new owners decided not to continue the contract I suspect.

Probably not a great use of taxpayers' money

 

[RUK]

Probably not a great use of taxpayers' money

c2c renewed their sponsorship of Southend United football club shortly after nationalisation, which I was surprised by.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 10 Oct 2025 ==

The transformation has begun.

The attached images show a four car class 755 with GBR coming soon branding applied.

Has the black unit number gone from the yellow warning panel at the end of the unit as well, or is it just the low resolution of the photograph which makes it look that way to me?

 

[dk1]

Probably not a great use of taxpayers' money

Why do you think that? Advertising is always good for business and is being used by the likes of Transpennine Express and Northern as well as extensively by LNER.

 

[StephenHunter]

Why do you think that? Advertising is always good for business and is being used by the likes of Transpennine Express and Northern as well as extensively by LNER.

Did BR ever sponsor a sports team?

 

[dk1]

Did BR ever sponsor a sports team?

Gosh yes. Several including horse racing.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 10 Oct 2025 ==

GOOD NEWS

Hartley is back sponsoring ITV Anglia News again this evening. Might be hare today gone tomorrow

 

[PLY2AYS]

Gosh yes. Several including horse racing.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 10 Oct 2025 ==

GOOD NEWS

Hartley is back sponsoring ITV Anglia News again this evening. Might be hare today gone tomorrow

But did it ever sponsor another state run organisation?
Or is Anglia News ITV?

*Apologies, posted before I saw your additional post!*

 

[dk1]

But did it ever sponsor another state run organisation?
Or is Anglia News ITV?

I’m confused by what you mean. GA have sponsored ITV Anglia weather for many years. Only stopped briefly during the pandemic and during the mourning of the Duke of Edinburgh & HM the Queen.

 

[PLY2AYS]

I’m confused by what you mean. GA have sponsored ITV Anglia weather for many years. Only stopped briefly during the pandemic and during the mourning of the Duke of Edinburgh & HM the Queen.

I wasn’t sure if it was BBC or not!

But you clarified before my feed updated

(My thought was GA entering public ownership might somehow conflict, but I’ve not seen a BBC weather sponsor, so it was actually a really silly question having thought it through)

 

[F Great Eastern]

BBC report here:

Greater Anglia nationalisation will deliver 'value for money'

The transport secretary says the move will bring value for money, but she did not promise lower fares.

www.bbc.co.uk

I've got about as much appetite for this as I had for NatEx taking over the franchise in 2004 and some of the messaging that is being given right now is eerily similar in terms of no changes to ticket prices, no real change to services delivering better value for the taxpayers. For the second time in it's history, just when the GEML is doing really well, we're fixing something that isn't broken and ripping it up.

Already with other operators under government control, we're seeing the realities that nationalisation is not the silver bullet for resolving all the problems of the railway in this country that it's biggest supporters have been banging on about on this forum over the past decade. We were told the fat cats getting cut out of the loop would lower prices and vastly improve services this hasn't materialised and instead we're getting served up hare brained new fares ideas across the government owned operators (especially LNER) which are being disguised as simplification when they are in reality stealth fare rises in disguise and the removal of many discounts and a loss of flexibility.

I just don't see what this change will bring us in a positive light here. There are other operators who are totally hapless that have needed a shake up, but breaking something that works just is just blind ideology. I've always mandated that a lot of the railways issues are caused by the DfT and handing them complete control is a recipe for disaster. I doubt any of those people who have been cheerleading this for the last decade or more will apologise when their ideological dream turns out to be complete unrealistic fantasy.

The big question is though, if the high fares in this country were due to private operators greed, when are the big fare reductions coming to GA and the operators that have already been in public ownership for years? And if they're not coming, why do we have stealth rises by the backdoor? Have we replaced private operators greed with greed of a different kind? Maybe, just maybe, you were wrong and rather than the private 'fat cats' being the source of all the problems perhaps your beloved DfT was somewhat to blame after all and they will stuff the regions passengers and drive people off trains just like the SRA did in 2003 when they got into bed with NatEx.

 

[Djgr]

Why do you think that? Advertising is always good for business and is being used by the likes of Transpennine Express and Northern as well as extensively by LNER.

I would disagree that advertising is always good for a business, unless there is no cost to the business.

Otherwise it is a matter of comparing additional sales with the cost incurred.

There are, however, many vanity projects.

 

[saismee]

... served up hare brained new ...

Don't use the hare's name like that!

 

[F Great Eastern]

Don't use the hare's name like that!

Sorry, I just couldn't resist!

I suspect they will be consigned to the dustbin sooner or later as can't see a mascot like that being something the DfT would keep sadly. I was very anti them when they first got brought in but they've been a good vehicle for GA to advertise the new trains and the speed of service that there now is.

My one over-riding memory is that GA looked all at sea in 2018/2019 with the new trains order and Covid bailed them out from what was looking like ending up in a difficult situation with 150 a day short forms before it. But once things started to settle down and they got their operations team in order they've done a first class job. You have to give them credit that at one point they became very protective of the brand and very inwards but from 2021 they really sharpened up, recognised their failings, got some experienced figures in to get those areas into tip-top shape and turned it around and become the operator they are today.

The biggest testament I can say to them is that they took their head out of the sand. It may have took them the pandemic to get that to happen, but we ended up with a much more customer focused business afterwards and they've just gone onwards and upwards from there. Just like First Great Eastern did all those years ago, they have made a tremendous impact on railways in this region. They leave the operation in a far better position than they took over it. It's another sad day in this area, as once again we lose an award winning, best in class train operator just when they're at the top of their game.

 

[dk1]

I wasn’t sure if it was BBC or not!

But you clarified before my feed updated

(My thought was GA entering public ownership might somehow conflict, but I’ve not seen a BBC weather sponsor, so it was actually a really silly question having thought it through)

Not with our wonderful BBC and our unique TV licence.

 

[Adrian1980uk]

Sorry, I just couldn't resist!

I suspect they will be consigned to the dustbin sooner or later as can't see a mascot like that being something the DfT would keep sadly. I was very anti them when they first got brought in but they've been a good vehicle for GA to advertise the new trains and the speed of service that there now is.

My one over-riding memory is that GA looked all at sea in 2018/2019 with the new trains order and Covid bailed them out from what was looking like ending up in a difficult situation with 150 a day short forms before it. But once things started to settle down and they got their operations team in order they've done a first class job. You have to give them credit that at one point they became very protective of the brand and very inwards but from 2021 they really sharpened up, recognised their failings, got some experienced figures in to get those areas into tip-top shape and turned it around and become the operator they are today.

The biggest testament I can say to them is that they took their head out of the sand. It may have took them the pandemic to get that to happen, but we ended up with a much more customer focused business afterwards and they've just gone onwards and upwards from there. Just like First Great Eastern did all those years ago, they have made a tremendous impact on railways in this region. They leave the operation in a far better position than they took over it. It's another sad day in this area, as once again we lose an award winning, best in class train operator just when they're at the top of their game.

I'm going to say the pandemic really did bail them out, if it hadn't happened I feel it would have been disastrous even with the new trains, but having said that they've actually made the best from there on in. I agree with your sentiment though, what are we trying to fix here, a 'profitable' TOC, top in reliability and in no way is government ownership going to do anything positive with regards to investment.

I do note a coincidence I've traveled weekly to London from Norwich for 2 and 1/2 years and had 6 disruptions of which 3 in the last 3 weeks, hopefully not a sign of public ownership to come.

 

[F Great Eastern]

I'm going to say the pandemic really did bail them out, if it hadn't happened I feel it would have been disastrous even with the new trains, but having said that they've actually made the best from there on in. I agree with your sentiment though, what are we trying to fix here, a 'profitable' TOC, top in reliability and in no way is government ownership going to do anything positive with regards to investment.

I do note a coincidence I've traveled weekly to London from Norwich for 2 and 1/2 years and had 6 disruptions of which 3 in the last 3 weeks, hopefully not a sign of public ownership to come.

Hasn't been great the last few weeks but there have been some things outside of their hands to be fair and some sheer bad luck.

But at the same time, Transport UK are hardly going to spend money on long term things that are not immediately priority when they are handing keys back in a few days. That's always been the way up and down the industry. There's an even smaller incentive now then in the past, since it's not like it's going to go against them when bidding for other contracts, there are none to bid for!

Do we know if there is going to be a brain drain of some management going off to other Transport UK companies rather than carry over to the NewCo from Sunday, like when First parachuted a fair few senior people out to other UK businesses and UK Bus following the franchise switched over to NXEA in 2004?

 

[saismee]

Most of the issues recently are either train faults or NWR's fault (track conditions, level crossings, etc). Certainly just an unfortunate blip at an awkward moment in time.

 

[Joe Paxton]

But did it ever sponsor another state run organisation?
Or is Anglia News ITV?

I’m confused by what you mean. GA have sponsored ITV Anglia weather for many years. Only stopped briefly during the pandemic and during the mourning of the Duke of Edinburgh & HM the Queen.

I wasn’t sure if it was BBC or not!
[...]
(My thought was GA entering public ownership might somehow conflict, but I’ve not seen a BBC weather sponsor, so it was actually a really silly question having thought it through)

No sponsorship on BBC programmes and channels in the UK. (At least, not thus far...)

 

[Rover]

Did BR ever sponsor a sports team?

In the late 80s Harlequins rugby team were sponsored by Red Star Parcels

 

[dk1]

No sponsorship on BBC programmes and channels in the UK. (At least, not thus far...)

Exactly. Not sure why anybody thought otherwise. No commercial breaks are more than worth the licence fee.

 

[PLY2AYS]

Exactly. Not sure why anybody thought otherwise. No commercial breaks are more than worth the licence fee.

I blame a week of earlies!

 

[norbitonflyer]

Did BR ever sponsor a sports team?

LNER has sponsored Lincoln City since shortly after it came under DOR control - and very shortly after it at last provided more than a token service to the city

 

[Mikey C]

I imagine the GA Hare, Avanti Tortoise and LNER's Eleanor will have to fight it out to keep their job. The winner gets to promote the whole of GBR, the loser will end up on Celebrity Big Brother.

 

[LowLevel]

I imagine the GA Hare, Avanti Tortoise and LNER's Eleanor will have to fight it out to keep their job. The winner gets to promote the whole of GBR, the loser will end up on Celebrity Big Brother.

Don't forget Miles, the EMR Purple Cushion Thing who has been a bit quiet of late

 

[GraphitProjekt]

I doubt any of those people who have been cheerleading this for the last decade or more will apologise when their ideological dream turns out to be complete unrealistic fantasy.

Maybe, just maybe, you were wrong and rather than the private 'fat cats' being the source of all the problems perhaps your beloved DfT was somewhat to blame after all

I don't really know who you're talking about so this does sort of read like you're making up a guy to get angry at, I can't think of anyone who's ever been a DfT fan. But as someone who would have been banging on about nationalisation 10 years ago, I don't think I would have come up with GBR. We know it won't insource capabilities/functions into NwR/train operators that should not have been contracted out, nor does it do anything about ROSCOs who are as close to "fat cat" as you can get in the rail industry, and it probably won't move to radically re-organise the timetable into something more reliable. My big worry with GBR is that the government is lauding them as 'nationalisation' but the organisation will not actually have the financial or policy independence to really change anything leaving a big rhetoric space in the next 5 or so years for someone to start advocating for a hard re-privatisation

I've always mandated that a lot of the railways issues are caused by the DfT and handing them complete control is a recipe for disaster.

I would entirely agree with this. But I'd say TOCs, on average, did not actually act as a buffer between government mismanagement and operations on the ground. TOCs are just contracted middlemen that the government can point to offload accountability when passengers are complaining, they only rarely and sporadically find themselves in a position to actually make good or bad decisions. This doesn't mean we should keep the structure just because it occasionally goes well. You said as much yourself that the incentives are not well laid out:

Transport UK are hardly going to spend money on long term things that are not immediately priority when they are handing keys back in a few days. That's always been the way up and down the industry.

We can probably quite reasonably guess that not fixing anything because the contract is moving on soon is not a problem GBR will have.
GBR is positioned theoretically to be a good thing: an organisation tasked with the day to day running of the railway as well as for longer term planning. But it needs to actually have material independence from DfT/Treasury in order to achieve anything.
If it turns out GBR is just DFTO for everyone then this is obviously a bad thing but 1) this was practically speaking the situation under TOCs anyway and 2) no one advocating for nationalisation would have been advocating for That. Who has been "cheerleading" that structure for apparently decades as their "ideological dream"? All the voices I've seen who have been pushing for public ownership have been critical of the GBR structure (or what little we actually know about it) while conceding that it is a small step in the right direction. There's a lot of vitriol in the words you have for people who've been advocating for public ownership and restructuring - I just don't believe any of them would have settled for GBR as the be all and end all.

There are other operators who are totally hapless that have needed a shake up, but breaking something that works just is just blind ideology.

I do think this is a bit unfair. How else would you nationalise passenger operations without just waiting for TOC contracts to expire. It's just the lay of the land that GA is third and not at the bottom of the pile. Obviously it was ridiculous to renew Avanti's contract with a full term when GBR was a known policy, but that was (I believe) the misgivings of the last government who themselves knew they were "handing keys back in a few days" as well.